Heather Wolpert-Gawron

heather

Marzano con’t & Corporate Sponsorship in Education

Marzano con’t & Corporate Sponsorship in Education

By on March 31, 2009

There’s a really interesting discussion thread going on at the Interactive Whiteboard Revolution ning.  It all began with my post recapping Robert Marzano’s position on the influence of IWB technology when he presented at the CUE conference this year.  You can

Where the Wild Things Are: Part II

Where the Wild Things Are: Part II

By on March 30, 2009

So I recited the book and showed the movie trailer to the students on my Interactive Whiteboard, just as I mused about in my last post.  From there, I read an old version of the “Three Little Pigs” and asked

Movie Trailer Review:  Where the Wild Things Are

Movie Trailer Review: Where the Wild Things Are

By on March 27, 2009

Yes, it’s true.  I’m reviewing a movie review.  But when you watch it, you’ll understand why. Spike Jonze of “Being John Malkovich” fame (amongst other image-rich movies and videos) is directing a movie version of the Maurice Sendak classic, Where

Teacher-Led Evaluations

Teacher-Led Evaluations

By on March 27, 2009

I was musing over a post at Bill Ferriter’s blog, “The Tempered Radical,” about “white space” teachers. These are the teachers who are doing great things quietly, unrecognized for their contributions to the overall success of a school. So I

Teaching Secrets: Finding a Job That You Love

Teaching Secrets: Finding a Job That You Love

By on March 25, 2009

Know a teacher who got a pink slip?  Maybe my newest post at Teacher Magazine can help.  Click here for the article. It’s Step 1 of my Top Secret New Teacher Handbook.  Hope it creates some shortcuts, a machete even,

Internet Reading: The genre

Internet Reading: The genre

By on March 23, 2009

So I’m sitting here pondering the titles of the two curriculum books I am currently writing on teaching Internet Literacy, and I can’t help but wonder if reading on the Internet isn’t its own genre all together.   I mean,

Finding Your Own Theme in Life

Finding Your Own Theme in Life

By on March 20, 2009

I have an article in the new March/April issue of Imagine Magazine, put out by Johns Hopkins.  It’s a beautiful magazine, whose audience is gifted middle schoolers.  It’s always a pleasure to write for a middle school audience.  I can

A teacher’s duty?

A teacher’s duty?

By on March 20, 2009

So by now I assume we’ve all heard of the sanctioned “cage fighting” in a Dallas, TX school.  As AP reports, school officials apparently condoned the use of a steel cage in which students could bare-knuckle fight their way towards

How to Start and Finance Your Classroom Library

How to Start and Finance Your Classroom Library

By on March 14, 2009

With budget cuts tightening everybody’s belt, we can’t forget that the voracious appetites of teen readers are also affected by this economic downturn. Parents can’t go to bookstores.  Scholastic Book Fairs have become mythical mirages on the horizon that, when

Extreme Makeover: Classroom Edition

Extreme Makeover: Classroom Edition

By on March 11, 2009

There’s been so much talk lately of deep-needed reforms for education, but we neglect just how powerful a simple makeover can be.  I’m lucky to currently work at a school that has a patch of green, which fixes the broken

The “Sweet Spot” in Interactive Whiteboards courtesy of Robert Marzano

The “Sweet Spot” in Interactive Whiteboards courtesy of Robert Marzano

By on March 9, 2009

CUE scored Marzano.   As he began his keynote presentation on Friday at the 2009 Computer Using Educators conference, Robert Marzano confessed that he had been slow on the tech bandwagon, only recently researching enough to see what all the

CUE Conference: Podcasting with 70 Middle Schoolers – RU Crazy?

CUE Conference: Podcasting with 70 Middle Schoolers – RU Crazy?

By on March 7, 2009

So here’s my Keynote presentation for all of you who wanted to flip through it for some reminders.  To open up my handouts, click here.   Hope you all enjoyed the session, and feel free to drop me a line

How to be an Ed Tech Advocate

How to be an Ed Tech Advocate

By on March 7, 2009

OK, guys.  So I got it from the horse’s mouth at CUE.  According to the ISTE Director of Governmental Affairs, No Child Left Behind is not going away.   In the weeks leading up to the election, the Obama administration

The Importance of The Classroom Library

The Importance of The Classroom Library

By on March 1, 2009

I believe a classroom library is the heartbeat of a teacher’s environment.  It is the window into their own personality, and it reflects the importance of literacy in the classroom.  I believe every teacher, no matter the subject taught, should

Teacher Magazine: Test Prep Magic

Teacher Magazine: Test Prep Magic

By on February 27, 2009

Check out my article in yesterday’s Teacher Magazine outlining 5 little-thought-about strategies in teaching test prep.  Hope it helps you during your own Test Prep season. -Tweenteacher

Top 10: How to Take Control of Your Teaching

Top 10: How to Take Control of Your Teaching

By on February 25, 2009

How can you take control of your teaching, both literally and internally? Read my Top 10 list that advises a teacher on how to get what you need in this demanding job of ours, how to survive it, and how to love it.

DARPA to create metacognitively aware robots

DARPA to create metacognitively aware robots

By on February 24, 2009

The Register reports that DARPA (Defense Advance Research Projects Agency) is currently researching how to create robots that are “like some self-aware computer systems capable of “meta-reasoning” and “introspection…”  Their goal is to “Provide machines with an ability to reason

The Death of Teacher Conferences or I Can’t Believe I Miss My Canvas Bag

The Death of Teacher Conferences or I Can’t Believe I Miss My Canvas Bag

By on February 23, 2009

So, CATE (the California Association of Teachers of English) just came to an end.  The hotel was lovely.  All ran smoothly.  We were greeted with smiles aplenty, and everything ran on time.  Sheridan Blau, Kelly Gallagher, Carol Booth Olson, Taylor

Am I So Past My Prime?

Am I So Past My Prime?

By on February 21, 2009

Somehow, and maybe I’m reading into it here, I feel a little written off already.  Education Week is reporting that some districts are pondering the possibility of “front-loading” new teacher salaries, increasing their compensation earlier in their career to aid

“I Statements” in Expository Writing

“I Statements” in Expository Writing

By on February 18, 2009

This weekend I’m presenting at the CATE conference in Santa Clara, CA.  It’s a session on developing high level, critical-thinking commentary in expository writing.  My feeling is that great commentary is the Voice in Expository, it is the Show, Not